


Why Don't We

by bellamouse16



Series: how many stories turns a crack ship into a ship ship? [1]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, its fluffy, oh and this is cheesby too cause why not, theres a few crack ships mentioned in this too, theres a ton of hockey players mentioned, theres hints at smut, this is a crack ship... or is it?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 21:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18484798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellamouse16/pseuds/bellamouse16
Summary: Carter meets Nikita at the All-Star Game.





	Why Don't We

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in a world where Carter Hart and Nikita Kucherov are both at the All-Star Game, cause why not? They both belong there.

Carter was nervous and he was positive G could tell. He couldn't be happier his captain was taking him under his wing for his first All-Star weekend.  They had already done a few interviews, both together and separate, and now they were all getting ready for the Skills. They had the Atlantic and Metropolitan sharing a dressing room and Carter was sandwiched between Claude and Nikita Kucherov.  If being here was nerve-wracking, to begin with, then being beside Nikita was a whole new level. Carter could barely process it all if he was being honest. He’d always had a crush on Nikita. It definitely didn't help that he also found his hockey hot.  He had the silkiest mitts and such a serious expression always on his face, but when he smiled. Well, it was like the world was lit up. He seemed like a quiet guy, but Nikita also seemed very close to people on his team, something Carter couldn't help but be drawn to.  Being close to his teammates was something he was worried about when he was just dropped into the Flyers in the middle of the season, but then again, he’d yet to meet the guys on the team. If he had, then he would've known there was no way but to be close to them, especially with how they treated everyone like family. It was a quality Carter loved, and to see that Nikita also had this quality was amazing for Carter.  It made the butterflies in his stomach just build up even more, as if they were going to just pour out from his mouth. G seemed to sense Carter’s nerves, patting his shoulder before getting up to casually talk to Sid. They seemed to still be trying to keep their relationship on the down low, although it wasn't exactly a secret throughout the league. Watching them awkwardly flirt with one another while Sid taped his stick helped put Carter to ease just a bit.  It didn't last long though. He felt someone knock shoulders with him and turned to come face to face with Nikita. Their faces were pretty close and Carter was drawn to his steely grey eyes that seemed to have a light hint of blue, and his thick beard that was so perfectly grown out.

“Don’t be nervous. Just relax”

Nikita’s eyes glittered

“Don’t eat the rookie alive, Kuch,” Stamkos said as he walked by.  “G would kill you, or worse, sick Gritty on you. I’d like you alive for the playoff run.”

Steven winked at Carter and then started getting dressed.  Carter started to finish putting on his gear too and ignore the heat flooding his features.  He could still feel Nikita’s gaze on him. The older man seemed to be studying him, scrutinizing him in some way.  Nikita leaned in a bit and spoke just low enough for only Carter to hear.

“Don't worry, kotik (kitten).  I won’t break you.”

Carter froze for a moment.  By the time he managed to look over, Nikita had gone back to dressing.  He stood up, shirtless, as he tugged on his jersey, the muscles in his back flexing with each movement.  He glanced over and smirked as he caught Carter watching.

“See you on the ice, Carter.”

Carter tried to keep from blushing as he watched Nikita walk off.  He shook himself of the feeling and finished dressing. He tried to hurry as he caught Claude glancing towards him, his expression a mixture of concern and suspicion.  He really didn't want to have his captain questioning why Carter lost all ability to speak around the Tampa winger.

Carter felt like his heart had leapt out of his chest and onto the ice once he skated up as his name was called.

It everything felt like it was going by in a blur.  Eventually, they started going through the skills competitions.  Carter went through his skill challenge, coming in second. Now, Claude skated up for a challenge, leaving Carter sitting at the edge of the boards.  A few of the other goalies were around, mostly trying to include the young rookie in their conversations. This time when Carter felt someone beside him, he wasn’t shocked to see Nikita leaning against the boards, one arm dangling off the back, practically touching Carter’s back.

“Enjoying?”

“Mhm…” Carter hummed, unsure of what exactly to say.

“You looked quite beautiful out there. Not something I ever thought of saying to a goalie blocking my shots.”

“Oh.. uh, thank you…”

Nikita didn’t seem to waste any time, merely continuing.

“I can think of a few other ways you would look beautiful.”

Carter could feel his face get flushed while trying to imagine what Nikita might be suggesting.  He could feel his breath catch and he stuttered through his words.

“Oh.  Um. Thank… thank you? Thank you, Kuch…”

“Call me Nikita.”

“Nikita…” Carter said hesitantly.

Nikita smirked, leaning closer and placing an arm around Carter’s shoulders in a very casual bro-ish way, but Carter could feel the deeper meaning as Nikita’s hand hung over his shoulder, dangling over his chest.

“Maybe we can see how pretty you can get tonight?”

Carter couldn’t help it anymore, turning to face Nikita.  He was surprised to see how close they were. He blinked once, taking in the way Nikita looked, freshly off the ice.  He was a little sweaty, perspiration gathering across his forehead. His eyes crinkled at the edges and his lips tilted up a bit on one side. His greyish bluish eyes tracked Carter’s features, from his eyes to his mouth, down his neck.  Carter could feel his blush deepen. He didn’t trust his voice, so he merely nodded. Nikita pulled his arm away, brushing Carter’s face for a second.

“824. Come anytime.”

With that, Nikita skated off towards where Ovi and Kuzy were kneeling on the ice. Carter watched him for a moment before looking back out onto the ice, trying to block everything else out.

The rest of the skills competition flew by and Carter eventually found himself going back to the hotel with Claude.  They split up to go into their own rooms. Right after he quickly changed into something more casual, Carter slipped out of his room. He walked down the hall, a few doors down, to where Nikita’s room was.  Carter blushed as he paused before the door to Nikita’s hotel room. He swallowed before knocking. He could hear some rustling on the other end. Before Nikita opened the door, another door down the hall opened.  Of course, it was just Carter’s luck that it was Claude leaving his room. He was dressed up a bit which piqued Carter’s interest, and if he hadn’t been standing in front of Nikita Kucherov’s hotel room at 9 p.m., he would’ve questioned Claude.  Instead, Claude spotted Carter and gave him an inquisitive look, eyebrow raised. It was just that moment that Nikita opened the door, coming out of his room just enough for Claude to see him. Carter felt a bit frozen, even as Nikita smiled at him.  Nikita looked past Carter and merely nodded at Claude before standing back a bit.

“You coming in? Or not?”

He gestured his head towards the inside of the room. Carter bit his lip and walked in, deciding not to spare Claude another look. His captain would only make him talk about this tomorrow at breakfast anyways. Carter swallowed thickly as Nikita closed the door behind him. Carter stood at the center of the room awkwardly as Nikita walked over and sat down at the edge of the bed, his feet planted on the floor, legs spread.  He was watching Carter, eyes tracking his movements. Carter hesitated walking towards him until Nikita spoke up.

“Come here, malysh.” ( baby)

Carter wasn’t sure what the last part meant, but he walked over steadily, wrapping his arms around Nikita’s shoulders.  Nikita leaned forward and kissed Carter. He wrapped his arms around Carter’s waist, pulling him closer to his body. Carter hesitated for a moment before lowering himself to his knees.  

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Nikita said, brushing a hand across his jawline.

Carter shook his hand away, looking up at Nikita with big hazel eyes.

“I want to.”

Carter got lost in Nikita and once he was sprawled across the bed with just the sheets wrapped around his waist and Nikita laying beside him equally undressed, Carter knew he wanted more than just one night.  

\----------

Carter woke up to Nikita’s arm wrapped around his waist, pulling Carter’s back against his chest.  Carte shifted slightly, unsure what he wanted to do. Should he get up? Did he want to wake Nikita up?  His choices were taken away from him as he felt Nikita move, leaning forward to press his lips against Carter’s neck.  He hummed against the back of Carter’s head and then moved back down towards Carter’s neck. He nipped at his skin, gliding his tongue over the indents caused by his teeth, and then sucked hard on the skin.  Nikita continued to do this while gliding a hand up Carter’s abs before trailing his hand further down, lower and lower and lower.

“Morning,” Nikita whispered in Carter’s ear, nipping slightly at the edge of it.  

Carter felt himself flush and any semblance of still being asleep left him.  

“Morning,” he replied, his voice hoarse from the night before.

Nikita pulled Carter around so they were face to face.

“No regrets?”

Nikita’s eyes narrowed a bit as if he was trying to figure Carter out.

“None,” Carter said, flushing slightly. “It was, um, really great, and…”

Nikita brushed a hand against Carter’s hip.

“And?”

“Nothing... Just… I get it if this is a one-time thing but, I would really like it not to be?”

Nikita smiled softly.

“I didn’t think this was a one-night thing.  I would have been okay if it was, but, this can be whatever you want, Carter.”

Carter leaned in and kissed Nikita gently at the corner of his lips.

“Then I’d like us to do this again… and maybe something more?”

“Whatever you want,” Nikita replied.

Nikita pulled Carter in, wrapping his arms around his wait as Carter threw a leg over Nikita’s hip just to make sure they were as close as possible. Carter didn’t know how long they could stay like this, but he really hoped they would at least have enough time to finish what Nikita had started.

\------------

Carter shifted as the elevator stopped on the floor where the large dining room the NHL had made sure all the players could go to the morning before the All-Star Game.  Nikita’s hand gripped the back of Carter’s neck as they got off the elevator.

“Kuch!”

They looked over to see Steven calling Nikita over to his table.

“I’ll see you later,” Nikita said, pressing the palm of his hand against the back of Carter’s neck.

Carte nodded and then watched Nikita walk off.  He glanced around the room, wondering where to sit.  He felt himself shrink into himself as he spotted Claude staring him down.  Carter got his food before slowly making his way and sitting at the table with Claude.  Brad and Patrice were sitting with Claude. Carter noticed that Claude could see Sid from where he was sitting with Letang, Tyler, Jamie, and the Star’s rookie, Miro.  Carter rolled his eyes at the hypocrisy he was about to have to endure.

“So how was your night?”

Claude grinned as he spoke, looking slightly annoyed and amused at the same time.

“Good…” Carter said softly.

Brad and Patrice were watching them carefully.

“I feel like I’m missing something here,” Brad said.

Carter tried to avoid Claude’s eyes while he pushed around the food in his plate, picking at a slice of bacon.  Claudes reached across the table flicking at Carter’s neck. Carter flinched as he hit a healing hickey Nikita had left before they got out of bed that morning.  

“Really?” Claude said incredulously.

“You got some last night, eh?” Brad joked.

“Yeah, with the leading scorer in the league,” Claude said sarcastically.

Carter could tell the gears working in Brad and Patrice’s heads and took the moment to try and divert the attention.

“Like you can talk!” he said as he pointed to the recent hickey healing at the base of Claude’s neck, just barely covered by his shirt.  He flushed a bit.

“Oh, we all know. Claude and Sid are the worst kept secret in the entire league.  You aren't getting out of this one,” Patrice said with a smile.

“Top scorer?” Brad said partially to himself while deep in thought.

The rest of the table sighed. Brad gasped loudly.

“You’re screwing Ovechkin! No… McDavid!”

Carter blanched, Claude broke out into laughter, and Patrice facepalmed.

“I’m married to a moron,” Patrice said with an affectionate sigh.

“Kucherov,” Claude said with a sigh, bracing himself for Brad’s reaction.

Brad’s jaw fell open and it seemed like he didn't have a response.

“Really? That's what quiets you?” Patrice joked fondly.  “Well, there have been weirder relationships amongst the league,” Patrice offered from beside Claude.

Brad raised an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah? Like who?”

Patrice rolled his eyes, but he continued on.

“Comeau’s got that thing with your boy,” Patrice directed at Claude.

“My boy?”

“Konecny,” Patrice supplied.

Claude’s face did something complicated.  Carter tried to hold back his reaction. He clearly didn't do a good job since Claude sighed.

“Nolan and he are a mess.”

Brad’s eyes were wide.

“Comeau? Blake Comeau? And Konecny? Blake is such a dad and TK? He’s such a fish-loving frat boy.  Patrick? Wow, what happened between draft day and now? He’s so…” Brad trailed off during his rant.

“Greasy?” Carter filled in.

Claude rolled his eyes and Patrice merely smiled at Brad’s lack of tact.  He was more than used to it.

“That’s not even the weirdest,” Patrice continued.

“Please tell me this one doesn't involve another one of my rookies.”

“I think TK wouldn't care for being called a rookie,” Carter said.

“Well guess who’s not here.”

Claude gave Carter a look before turning back to Patrice.  He looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to go on.

“Well, I’m surprised you don’t know about Spezza and Oleksiak.”

“Jamie Oleksiak?” Claude and Carter said at the same time.

Brad chuckled at Carter and Claude’s disbelief.  They continued to gossip while Carter sat quietly, just thinking over last night.  It had been amazing, and he couldn't believe Nikita wanted more with him too. Carter was still blushing Claude broke into a grin.  Before Carter could look back, he felt a hand on his shoulder. After last night, he didn't even have to look up to know who it was, but he looked up anyways to see Nikita behind him.

“I just want to see you’d like to have lunch?”

“Uh, yeah.  Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Good, good.”

Nikita squeezed his shoulder and looked from Carter to Claude.

“And how about you, G?”

“Make it a double,” Claude said with a grin.

Claude was staring down Carter, clearly taking in the way Carter paled and his reaction made Claude light up like a Christmas tree.  

“Great,” Nikita responded and leaned down to kiss Carter quickly.

The guys at the table laughed and started to chirp Carter but he couldn't hear them over his heartbeat racing.  He looked over to where Nikita was now talking to a few guys. As if Nikita could sense Carter looking, he glanced over and shot him a wink.  Carter could certainly get used to being on this end of that wink in no time.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope ya'll enjoyed. As always, comments are appreciated.


End file.
